Uganda has imposed a 21-day quarantine on its citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the health ministry announced, as part of enhanced measures to prevent the spread of Ebola virus.
The DRC is currently experiencing its deadliest Ebola outbreak, with over 4,500 deaths reported since May, and the virus has spread to multiple neighboring countries.
The new restrictions come in response to concerns raised after two individuals who transited through Uganda tested positive for Ebola in Kenya and Nigeria.
The Ugandan health ministry confirmed on Sunday that all 60 people monitored after potential exposure to the Kenyan Ebola patient have been cleared and discharged.
Under the new protocols, travellers who have been to the DRC will not be permitted to transit through Uganda, and returning Ugandan citizens will undergo mandatory 21-day quarantine at their own expense.
The ministry also stated that screening procedures have been intensified at Entebbe International Airport and all land border crossings, with additional checks at designated road checkpoints.
Uganda’s Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi told the BBC that only essential travellers from the DRC will be allowed entry, and they will be subject to rigorous public health measures. “All these are measures to ensure that we keep Uganda free of Ebola,” he emphasized.
Although no Ebola cases have been reported within Uganda since the outbreak began in the DRC, authorities remain vigilant following the positive cases detected in Kenya and Nigeria involving travellers who passed through Entebbe Airport on the same day.
The patient in Nigeria is the Ugandan-born spouse of a Swiss diplomat who visited Kampala for holidays, while the Kenyan national had business ties in the DRC, according to Dr. Jean Kaseya, head of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Diana Atwine, the health ministry’s permanent secretary, noted that CCTV footage confirmed no physical contact occurred between the two infected travellers during their time at Entebbe Airport.
The Kenyan businessman passed away two days after arriving in Nairobi, where eight additional Ebola cases have since been confirmed. A second individual related to the businessman also died over the weekend.